Monday, April 30, 2012

On Sunday Lisa and I headed to Chelsea for Etsy's first wedding event, To Have and To Hold. This event was held in conjunction with the launch of a new Etsy Wedding feature now available on their site. It was beautifully staged with a ton of Etsy vendors involved. We were given a guidebook to help us keep track of items that we liked as well as a cute tote full of coupons for the participating vendors. Here's a little bit of what we saw.

Cute clothing and clever paper decorations:

Flowers and other leafy things:

It was a great event and I'm thankful we got to attend. The event totally sold out! I love Etsy and appreciate what they've done for people who handcraft and sell their items. This was a wonderful showcase for these small businesses.

Friday, April 27, 2012

Last weekend I took Jon to the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade for a surprise. At exactly 10:30pm fireworks started shooting up into the air from Roosevelt Island. The clouds were hanging low that night and at times it looked like aliens were attacking the Statue of Liberty. Spooky. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, through Chinatown and Little Italy and then took the train back to Brooklyn. My favorite dates are when we wander the city together with no specific destination in mind.

Anyhow, this weekend Lisa and I will be heading to the city to attend To Have & To Hold, the first ever Etsy bridal event. After that we plan on walking up to Chelsea Market to check out the Fred FlareSpringle pop up shop. Their brick and mortar shop used to be just down the street from my apartment and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on their new merchandise.

Friday, April 20, 2012

Thankfully this weekend will be more low key than last weekend. Jon is back to Brooklyn tonight (hooray!). We have a few things we need to complete for our wedding prep but that doesn't mean we're going to be antisocial.

Saturday evening we'll be heading to Sound Fix Records for a free in store performance by Mates of State. Sunday we're meeting up with a group of our friends for a backyard brunch. I'm hoping to finally find some time to make some cupcakes to bring along.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Jon had a conversation with one of our friends a few days ago. She said to him, "So, you guys are getting married in six months!" We both had an "Oh crap" moment because yes, we are in fact getting married in six months.

Wedding planning has hit a lull in the last couple of months. The crazy dash to get the major elements in place for this party were completed within the first month or so of us getting engaged. I think once that was accomplished we both had a (maybe false?) sense of security in feeling like we had lots and lots of time to do the rest. Truth be told, I love throwing a party. I think if I remind myself that we are basically throwing a big party the tedious details won't seem so tedious.

It's a funny thing being engaged. On the one hand, you and your partner are over-the-moon happy and excited to be making this commitment to each other. But on the other hand, you have feelings of dread in gearing up to plan the actual wedding. I am very aware that my experience thus far is much less stressful and intense than it has been for many other people but I think that's partly because I set my intention to not get stressed from the planning and also partly because I am a very good procrastinator. Thankfully, Jon is not. At least not on the wedding planning. He's also very patient and knows me well so when he sees me reaching my limit we take a break.

And really, the fact that I have to wait six more months to marry this incredible man is making me impatient to get married. I know, totally ridiculous.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

One of the things that I love about living here is the plethora of bands that come through while on tour. When I lived in Ohio it would not be unusual for a group of us to drive two to three hours away to go see a band that we loved. However, we would always be able to snag some tickets. It's a different story here. For instance, today I got an email notification for pre-sale tickets to Sigur Rós's upcoming show in Prospect Park. I immediately clicked on the link and they were already sold out! Frustrating to say the least. I am looking into volunteering for the show but if that doesn't pan out I'll have to join what I am sure will be a crowd of people who will be sitting by the bike path listening to the music from outside of the venue. (*UPDATE* - the pre-sale tickets were sold out but tickets for the general public go on sale this Friday at noon. Fingers crossed that I can actually buy one this time...)

Sigur Rós
*In 2002 I saw them perform at The Wexner Center in Ohio and it remains one of the best shows I've ever attended. There was a live chamber orchestra and they held the entire audience captive until the very last note was played.*

Tune Yards
*A few years ago my friend gave me a ton of new music to listen to. I was cleaning the house with my iPod on shuffle and the Tune Yards came on. I stopped what I was doing because I was surprised and stunned at the emotion and energy coming through this music. They were coming through Brooklyn in a few months and as soon as the tickets went on sale I bought two, dragging my best friend along who had never heard them before. We got to the show and their joy from making this music was evident through the entire set. I wrote about it here.*

*Mark Kozelek has the kind of voice that makes you want to weep. It makes me nostalgic for Ohio and reminds me of some amazing moments in my life. He rarely toured through Ohio so when I found out that he was playing in Indianapolis I grabbed a friend and we drove to see him play to a room of only fifty people in a very intimate gallery space. Another one of my most favorite shows.*

Monday, April 16, 2012

This weekend I met up with a lovely group of people to celebrate my friendStephanie's birthday. A couple of her friends had organized a picnic in Central Park and it was perfect - gorgeous weather, an amazing spread of food and drinks, and amazing company. I kept looking around with a smile on my face reminded that sometimes living in this city feels almost too perfect to be real.

Friday, April 13, 2012

This weekend is supposed to be absolutely gorgeous. I have to be in Chinatown for a photoshoot (!!!), at the East River Waterfront to meet with a friend to go to the Williamsburg Flea, and plans for an afternoon in Central Park for belated birthday celebrations.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

I am guilty of wearing a lot of black, grey, and neutrals. It's always been that way and when I moved to New York I found that I slipped right into the sea of people clothed in black. I put on some color for the Easter Parade this weekend and didn't feel too conspicuous, but I think that's only because everyone else was super conspicuous. I think I just have to remind myself that no one actually cares about what you're wearing. And if they do you're likely to never see them again.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Jon and I went to the city to catch this year's Easter Parade. It was great to see everyone dressed up and walking along 5th Avenue. It was also the best parade I've been to because there was no actual parade. There was plenty of room to walk around and the best people watching in the city so far this year.

Friday, April 6, 2012

This week seemed to just drag by, didn't it? I think part of it had to do with being cooped up in my office when I would have rather been out riding my bike, laying in the park, walking around new neighborhoods - all those great things you do when the weather is sunny and perfect.

Anyhow, this weekend I'm definitely going to make sure that I get out as much as possible. Saturday Jon and I are meeting up with friends at The Brooklyn Museum to see the Keith Haring exhibit. Admission is free all day because it is the first Saturday of the month. Later that evening I'll be heading to The Grand Victory to see EYE for their NYC record release show. They are from Columbus so I expect a ton of Ohio people to be there. Sunday, Jon and I will be heading into the city for the Easter Parade and hopefully stopping by the new Joe Fresh flagship store (thanks Mara for the reminder).

I'm so excited to tell you about my first featured post with Project Eve! Project Eve is a new social media site that connects women to people and resources to assist in creating successful and stable new ventures. This includes women who are considering a career change, starting a business, or going back to school, like me! I've written more about going back to school and my motivation to do so on Project Eve. Chapter 1 of Tales of a Thirty-Something Freshman can be found right here. Keep checking back for more of my back to school adventures and take a moment to sign up with Project Eve.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Saturday morning Jon and I woke up extra early and headed down to Brooklyn Bridge Park to take part in the 14th Annual Eileen C. Dugan Memorial 5K. This is the first year that it was held at this location and even though it was FREEZING I'm still really glad that we did it. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz came out to say a few words and to pass out Brooklyn pins to the race participants. And then it was time to run.

The course allowed us amazing views of Manhattan as well as the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge. There were people out along the course braving the frigid temperatures to cheer us along and that helped us out so much. We finished the race just at 30 minutes with huge smiles on our faces and left shortly thereafter to find a hot cup of coffee and some brunch. Hopefully the weather conditions will be a little kinder next year.